


slide into my DMs

by hi_raeth



Series: reblog (mini fics + prompt fills) [9]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Friends to Lovers, ben shoots his shot, i guess?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-24 02:50:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17696213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hi_raeth/pseuds/hi_raeth
Summary: Rey has a problem.Ben has a solution.Twitter brings them together.OR: in which Ben shoots his shot - in the sweetest, most respectful, no-pressure way possible, because thisisBen Solo we’re talking about.





	1. shoot your shot

Rey has been locked in a staring contest with her shower head for about five minutes now.

It’s been two hours since she got home from her shift at Maz’s, and she would like nothing more than to wash off the lingering smell of fried food and spilled beer. But fall has finally arrived and brought with it even-colder-than-usual ice water, and Rey can feel her lungs shaking at the mere thought of the shower that awaits her.

“Fuck _everything_ ,” she huffs, backing away from the shower for the fourth time in thirty minutes. Her phone sits on the countertop, lighting up every so often with notifications from friends tweeting about their super fun Friday night at the latest culinary hotspot or sharing bathroom selfies from fancy clubs Rey wouldn’t even be hired to work at, let alone be allowed into. Ignoring all of her classmates’ posturing, she quickly types out a tweet of her own.

> **endless pit  
>  ** _@reyofsunshine_
> 
> day 51 of ice cold showers because my landlord is a fucking cheapskate who refuses to fix anything

Bitching about her situation on social media won’t magically heat up her water, but it’s better than glaring at the cracked tiles of her bathroom wall. Even scrolling past everyone else’s over-the-top pictures seems preferable to a shower at this point, and Rey finally gives up – for now – as she trudges back into her bedroom and perches on the edge of her bed while she scoffs and laughs and shakes her head at her friends’ antics.

Finn, Rose, and Poe are at that weird new edible flower café, and based on their pictures she can tell Rose is about as baffled by the menu as she had been.

Jess and Kaydel finally managed to get a table at _Coruscant,_ but they don’t seem that impressed by the itty-bitty portion sizes and the comparatively monstrous price tags.

Hux is in his usual Friday night hangout spot, spamming everyone’s feeds with bathroom selfies featuring the tacky gold wallpaper that’s unique to _Finalizer,_ the most overpriced club in town. And judging by the way his cheeks match his hair, her least favorite classmate is already drunk as a skunk.

“Fun,” Rey mutters to herself as she navigates away from the app and moves to set her phone aside. It buzzes just before she can put it down, and a quick tap at the screen reveals one unread message from–

Rey tilts her head as she considers the sight of Ben Solo in her notifications. Have they ever even interacted on Twitter? They’ve traded messages on Instagram, mainly just snarky replies to each other’s stories, and they talk all the time in the group chat Poe added them to at the beginning of the semester, but this… this is new.

> **Ben Solo** _@accidentalgiant_ **  
> ** I’ve got a great shower.
> 
> **endless pit** _@reyofsunshine  
>  _how nice for you

Rey replies almost immediately, rolling her eyes at Ben and his trust fund apartment in the nice part of town. Forget hot water; the guy probably has actual water pressure and one of those fancy massage shower heads.

He sees her message, and then takes his own sweet time writing and deleting, writing and deleting until–

> **Ben Solo** _@accidentalgiant  
>  _And a really comfortable bed too.  
>  In case I wasn’t being obvious enough.

“Oh,” Rey says out loud, and somehow that single, dumbfounded word appears on her screen a second later.

Ben’s… her friend, in a way. More Poe’s friend than hers, but they still interact often enough that she counts him among the ten or so actual friends she’s made in her two years at college. He’s nice enough when he’s not giving her a hard time, but then again she’s always being an ass to him in return; it’s not like they even mean anything by it at this point, it’s just their thing.

Which makes this conversation all the more bizarre and unexpected, given the usual tone of their friendship.

> **Ben Solo** _@accidentalgiant  
>  _And a fully-stocked fridge.

Rey laughs despite her confusion.

> **endless pit** _@reyofsunshine  
>  _next time lead with that

Next time? _Next time_?

Ben replies before she can freak out and rush into damage control mode.

> **Ben Solo** _@accidentalgiant_  
>  Noted.  
>  So…  
>  Wanna come over?

She snorts at her phone and replies with the first thought that comes to mind, guiding them back to familiar ground.

> **endless pit** _@reyofsunshine  
>  _wow you must be desperate  
>  bit of a dry spell, Solo?

But Ben’s always been stubborn – just as stubborn as her, according to Poe – so it comes as no surprise when he refuses to be herded back to safety.

> **Ben Solo** _@accidentalgiant_  
>  It doesn't have to be like that.  
>  I just thought it’d be nice to spend time with you.
> 
> **endless pit** _@reyofsunshine  
>  _spend time with me?  
>  is that what they’re calling it these days?

Rey smirks as she watches the telltale dots appear and disappear, trying to picture Ben’s reaction on the other end of the conversation. Whether or not he meant it that way, she’d bet a good chunk of this month’s paycheck that he’s already blushing. It gives him away every time, even when he manages to bite back a smile and maintain intense eye contact – which he does with her a lot, now that Rey thinks about it.

Maybe she should’ve seen this coming.

> **Ben Solo** _@accidentalgiant  
>  _Rey.  
>  I’m serious.

He’s got his serious face on, then – the one he wears in class, the one she occasionally sneaks glances at because the focus in his eyes is… _admirable_. His attention span in a class full of kids who are half-asleep is admirable, that’s all, and it’s not like she sometimes wonders what it’d feel like to have him look at her with that kind of single-minded focus.

> **endless pit** _@reyofsunshine  
>  _so you’re asking me to go over for a free meal and a hot shower  
>  and then we’ll just… what, cuddle up in front of the TV?

It’s a cozy little scene right out of the domestic daydreams Rey tells herself she absolutely doesn’t have, but this is college. And Ben, decent though he may be, is still a college boy. Maybe he has a TV in his bedroom. Maybe this is the part where he not-so-jokingly suggests that they Netflix and chill.

> **Ben Solo** _@accidentalgiant  
>  _If that’s what you want.

Rey blinks at her screen and waits for him to add to that, to pepper their chat with increasingly suggestive alternative options for the evening.

A full minute later, it finally dawns on her.

> **endless pit** _@reyofsunshine_  
>  wait  
>  oh my god you’re serious  
>  you actually mean that

She’s so caught up in her own thoughts that she fails to realize just how insulting her disbelief might be until Ben opts to ignore her in favor of cutting straight to the chase.

> **Ben Solo** _@accidentalgiant  
>  _Yes or no, Rey?

He’s probably pacing the length of his apartment now, running one hand through his hair while he scowls at his phone, berating himself for even trying–

It’s an oddly displeasing image, especially when accompanied by the realization that there’s no reason for him to be so agitated – not when she’s surprisingly keen to say yes. But…

> **endless pit** _@reyofsunshine  
>  _i’m carless this week  
>  and you’re way too far for me to walk

It seems like a poor excuse even to her, but Rey crosses her fingers and bites her lip and hopes Ben takes it as anything but, hopes he can tell how much she actually does want to spend the evening with him and his hot shower and his full fridge.

> **Ben Solo** _@accidentalgiant  
>  _I could go pick you up.  
>  If you want to come over.

Despite her relief, Rey finds herself staring at his message.

> **endless pit** _@reyofsunshine  
>  _seriously???
> 
> **Ben Solo** _@accidentalgiant  
>  _Sure, why not?
> 
> **endless pit** _@reyofsunshine_  
>  let me get this straight  
>  you’re gonna drive twenty minutes in the dark to pick me up  
>  take me to your place, feed me, and let me use your shower  
>  no funny business  
>  and you’re totally fine with that??

His reply comes not two seconds later, and sweeps away the last of Rey’s hesitation.

> **Ben Solo** _@accidentalgiant  
>  _Sounds good to me.

This man is not real. This man _cannot_ be real.

But Rey’s been through enough crap in her life to know when something good is in front of her, and this could definitely be good. Great, even.

> **endless pit** _@reyofsunshine_  
>  okay then  
>  let me know when you’re here
> 
> **Ben Solo** _@accidentalgiant  
>  _Will do, sweetheart.  
>  See you soon.

Rey stares at that message until her screen goes dark, and then it’s a mad rush to empty out her backpack and repack it with her nicest sleeping clothes.

Ben might not be planning on funny business, but she’s reasonably sure he wouldn’t object to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is at least 60% DMs because I have no idea what the fuck I’m doing anymore - other than clearing out my dusty _WIPs I thought I’d never write_ folder, apparently.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading and I hope you gained at least some entertainment from this silly little thing. Please don’t hesitate to leave a comment!
> 
> You can also find me on: [Tumblr](https://eleanor-writes-stuff.tumblr.com/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/hiraeth_writes)


	2. hey, dtf??

> **Ben Solo** _@accidentalgiant  
>  _I’m here. Take your time, I’ll wait.

Rey parts her curtains and sneaks a glance outside, and sure enough she’s greeted by the sight of Ben leaning against his car, head bowed and phone in hand.

He’s here. He’s actually here.

Backpack in hand, she takes one last look at her room to make sure she hasn’t forgotten any essentials. Toiletries? Check. Phone charger? Check. Her one set of actual pajamas? Check.

Granted, they’ve got a variety of breakfast eggs and terrible puns printed all over them, but Rey figures it beats her usual nighttime attire of an oversized tee featuring a truly impressive number of rips and holes.

Besides, if all goes as planned, she won’t be lounging around in the cami set Rose bought her last Christmas for long.

> **endless pit** _@reyofsunshine_  
>  on my way, romeo

She hurries down four flights of stairs (because of course Plutt refuses to fix the elevator too) and steps out into the cool October night to find Ben waiting for her in sweatpants and a shirt that’s at least two sizes too small. It’s the most dressed down she’s ever seen him, and Rey can’t help but comment on it as he opens the door for her and ushers her into his car.

“Nice PJs, Solo,” she says with a tiny smirk, bumping her shoulder against his arm before she slides into the passenger seat.

“Oh, this isn’t what I sleep in,” Ben tells her before he shuts the door, and she turns to his side of the car with an expectant look as he gets behind the wheel. “What?” he asks when he realizes she’s staring, hands stilling in their motion of putting on his seat belt.

Rey considers her next words for a moment, knowing exactly where this road leads to. But then again, she’s in his car on a Friday night with every intention of going back to his place. They’re not just headed down that road; they’re already on it and speeding recklessly towards an inevitable endpoint.

So she tilts her head at him and asks, “Then what _do_ you wear to sleep?”

A part of her almost hopes he’ll say _nothing_ , but that’s not Ben, is it? Especially not after tonight, not after the way he’s made it so clear that he won’t do anything to pressure her or make her feel uncomfortable.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” he says with a shrug as he pulls away from her building, and _damn_ if she doesn’t feel a jolt of anticipation race up her spine. She knows that nothing has to happen tonight, that Ben would go to bed perfectly happy even if they don’t do anything more than cuddle while they watch TV – which is exactly why they’re not going to stop at cuddling, not if she has any say in this.

And Ben’s made it pretty clear that she does.

Rey leans back – of course he’s got the most comfortable leather seats she’s ever sat in – and watches him drive in silence for a while, smiling back at him when he catches on and turns to her with a shy little curve on his lips. “So, to recap,” she says as they reach a red light, “the plan is to go to your place and for you to make use of that fully-stocked fridge of yours while I use up your hot water, right?”

“Yup,” Ben replies, and she shouldn’t find the way he pops the _p_ and accompanies it with a tap of his fingers against the wheel as endearing as she does, but even now, even when he thinks that’s all there is to this evening, his excitement is palpable.

So she takes a deep breath and throws all caution to the wind. “Okay, great. Here’s what’s actually going to happen: I’m going to wash this delightful _eau de Cantina_ off me, we’re going to have dinner, and then you’re going to show me just how comfortable your bed is.”

The light turns green, but Rey’s too busy trying _not_ to laugh at Ben’s wide eyes and dropped jaw to focus on that. She leans forward and curls two fingers under his chin, closes his mouth for him while Ben continues to blink at her as if she’s just told him the sky is red.

“Go, Ben,” she tells him when he fails to snap out of it, and it takes a pointed look at the traffic light before Ben gets the message and jumps back into motion.

“So, um,” he mumbles as he turns onto the street both he and Poe live on. Thankfully Poe lives two buildings away, making it extremely unlikely that she’ll run into him tomorrow morning. “What you said, about the bed…”

Rey _could_ put him out of his misery, but it’s so much fun watching him flail for words – especially compared to his usual snarky attitude and quick wit. Besides, as far as she’s concerned, she’s made herself perfectly clear.

“It’s just,” Ben gathers up the nerve to say as he pulls into a spot across the street, “I mean, I _think_ I know what you’re talking about but I don’t wanna be, you know, presumptuous or anything–”

God, this is too much for her heart to handle.

He puts the car in park, and the second Rey’s sure he’s not going to accidentally floor it, she grabs a fistful of his shirt and pulls him in for a kiss.

Ben’s too stunned to do anything other than freeze up at first, but the little noise of protest that rips past his lips when she pulls away is enough for Rey.

“What if I _want_ you to be presumptuous?”

“Oh,” he mumbles against her lips while Rey wraps her arms around his neck and slides her fingers into his hair. “ _Oh._ Okay then,” Ben says, trying for casual and failing miserably, and Rey can’t help but laugh at the strangled note in his voice.

But then he’s lunging forward to release her seat belt and pull her across the console and muffle her laughter with his lips, and Rey’s last coherent thought is _thank god for Twitter._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, first things first: this was originally meant to be a tiny 300-words-at-most bonus scene, and I didn’t realize it’d turned into a full-blown chapter until _after_ I finished writing the damn thing. So please, go easy on it.
> 
> If you enjoyed this, you have your fellow readers to thank for planting the idea of more in my mind. Special thanks to shadesofstubbornness for the breakfast pajamas idea!
> 
> I’ll see you guys tomorrow for the epilogue, which is literally just five hundred words of text messages. Until then, thank you for reading and please don’t hesitate to leave a comment!


	3. epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Re: format, I messed around quite a bit trying to make it work on both mobile and desktop, so hopefully that worked out. I put the entire thing in blockquote so that the text would be closer together for desktop readers, but I don't think that was particularly effective. If you have any trouble reading this, [the Tumblr version should be better on desktop](https://eleanor-writes-stuff.tumblr.com/post/182781996830/slide-into-my-dms-ficlet-iiiiii).

 

 

> **Rey **❤️** :  
>  **i'm horny come home
> 
> **Ben ❤️🍆💥:**  
>  REY  
>  I nearly choked on my food.
> 
> **Rey **❤️** :**  
>  i’ll tell you what i wanna choke on  
>  wait  
>  are you with the guys?  
>  should i have used code?  
>  hello, good sir, are you dtf??
> 
> **Ben ❤️🍆💥:**  
>  You’re going to kill me, I swear.  
>  And no, I’m not with the guys.
> 
> **Rey **❤️** :  
>  **then where are you??
> 
> **Ben ❤️🍆💥:  
>  **Dinner with my parents.
> 
> **Rey **❤️** :**  
>  BEN  
>  !!!!!!!!!!  
>  oh my god why didn’t you tell me???
> 
> **Ben ❤️🍆💥:**  
>  Because I wasn’t sure how it’d go.  
>  And I know how you feel about meeting them.  
>  So I didn’t want to get your hopes up.
> 
> **Rey **❤️** :**  
>  ben i don’t care how it goes  
>  i just want to be there for you
> 
> **Ben ❤️🍆💥:**  
>  I know, but I thought I’d spare you from any embarrassing food fights anyway.  
>  It’s actually gone okay so far, can you believe it?
> 
> **Rey **❤️** :  
>  **i’m glad it’s going well, baby
> 
> **Ben ❤️🍆💥:**  
>  Me too.  
>  Thank you.
> 
> **Rey **❤️** :  
>  **for what?
> 
> **Ben ❤️🍆💥:  
>  **For giving me the push I needed to call them.
> 
> **Rey **❤️** :**  
>  ben  
>  did you call your parents just because i asked about meeting them???
> 
> **Ben ❤️🍆💥:**  
>  I was thinking about it anyway, but yeah.  
>  You’re the most important person in my life, Rey.  
>  If you want to know my family, I’ll make it happen.
> 
> **Rey **❤️** :**  
>  fuck  
>  you really do love me
> 
> **Ben ❤️🍆💥:  
>  **I’ve been saying that for a year now, but thanks for finally noticing.
> 
> **Rey **❤️** :**  
>  yeah but there’s a difference  
>  between ‘i love you enough to get off the couch and go get snacks for you’  
>  and ‘i love you enough to sit through dinner with my parents for you’
> 
> **Ben ❤️🍆💥:  
>  **What’s the difference?
> 
> **Rey **❤️** :**  
>  one makes me all warm and fuzzy  
>  the other makes me want to have your babies
> 
> **Ben ❤️🍆💥:  
>  **I’m guessing that second one’s for the snacks.
> 
> **Rey **❤️** :**  
>  obviously  
>  but that doesn’t mean i appreciate this any less
> 
> **Ben ❤️🍆💥:  
>  **I know, sweetheart.
> 
> **Rey **❤️** :**  
>  okay i’ll leave you to it  
>  but come home for dessert  
>  because i’m still very, very dtf  
>  even more now actually
> 
> **Ben ❤️🍆💥:**  
>  Actually…  
>  If all goes well, I was thinking about bringing my parents home for dessert.
> 
> **Rey **❤️** :  
>  **wait, seriously???
> 
> **Ben ❤️🍆💥:**  
>  I mean, they’re barely ever in town, and I don’t see us visiting them anytime soon.  
>  So if you want to meet them…
> 
> **Rey **❤️** :**  
>  OF COURSE i do  
>  but are you sure about this?
> 
> **Ben ❤️🍆💥:**  
>  Yeah, I’m sure.  
>  And don’t worry, they already love you.
> 
> **Rey **❤️** :**  
>  you’re just saying that because you don’t want me to freak out  
>  okay i’m gonna clean up and go find someplace with cake or something  
>  the café on 5th street doesn’t close until 11 right?  
>  or should i just get ice-cream from the store?  
>  wait no your mom is fancy  
>  should i go to a bakery???
> 
> **Ben ❤️🍆💥:**  
>  Sweetheart, breathe.  
>  You don’t have to go get anything, they’ll probably be fine with just coffee.  
>  And we still have those cookies from Rose, that’s good enough.
> 
> **Rey **❤️** :**  
>  but i want to make a good impression  
>  three day old cookies aren’t a good impression
> 
> **Ben ❤️🍆💥:  
>  **Rey, it’s honestly not that big of a deal.
> 
> **Rey **❤️** :**  
>  no it kinda is  
>  you know i don’t care about much  
>  but i care about us  
>  so i care about this  
>  which makes it a pretty big deal  
>  just let me do this, okay?
> 
> **Ben ❤️🍆💥:  
>  **Okay, sweetheart.
> 
> **Rey **❤️** :**  
>  so  
>  cake ice-cream or fancy pastries??
> 
> **Ben ❤️🍆💥:  
>  **My mom prefers ice-cream.
> 
> **Rey **❤️** :**  
>  okay  
>  i’ll send you options  
>  see you soon, baby  
>  love you
> 
> **Ben ❤️🍆💥:  
>  **Love you too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's a wrap, folks!
> 
> I'm frankly still surprised by the fact that my tiny ficlet somehow ended up becoming a three-parter, but I'm so grateful to everyone for the incredibly warm welcome this fic has received. Whether or not you asked for more, I hope you've enjoyed these additions and that this tiny epilogue wrapped everything up nicely for you. 
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading and, as always, please don't hesitate to leave a comment!


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